Tuesday, January 1, 2013

How the New Order Protects Your Democracy

I've often spoken of the New Order's commitment to preserving individual liberty, freedom of choice, and representative government. My election to the position of supreme ruler of highsec was 100% democratic. Still, rebel miners often express doubts about the legitimacy of my election, the imposition of the Code, and the fairness of New Order governance in general.

The rebels' objections stem from an imperfect, incomplete understanding of what democracy is and how individual rights manifest themselves in a practical context. For example, each person has a right to cast his or her own vote. This right was exercised when I voted as proxy on everyone else's behalf. This step was only necessary because the voters were, at the time, unable to cast a vote that would reflect their interests--which is the whole point of having a vote.

That much is common sense and, I think, pretty well understood. Yet some rebels take their objections a step further, and they call into question the legitimacy of my voting as proxy in the first place.

I recognize that the New Order and its Code naturally stir up varying emotions among the people of highsec. I myself am even the subject of the occasional controversy. I would caution those who have doubts, to put their emotions aside. Let's put the baggage away for a moment, and let reason alone sit before us. I'm confident that if everyone looks at the question in a thoughtful, rational manner, we can unanimously conclude that my sovereignty over highsec is the result of free choice and democracy, not some egotistical power grab.

Democracy is about more than merely having the right to an opinion. Democracy involves voting. But it can't stop there, can it? Voting, by its very nature, carries certain other requirements. You can't vote without some mechanism to cast your vote (paper ballots, marbles in a jar, computerized voting booths, whatever). You can't vote without some means by which to count the votes. Nor can you vote for a candidate without there first being some candidates for whom to vote. And would your vote have any meaning unless the candidates had some office into which they ascended, after having been elected? Would that office have any meaning without an institution of which it was a part? And would any of that have meaning unless there was some way to enforce the system's continued existence?

The "right to vote" sounds like such a simple thing, until you take a deeper look into what that right entails. Other rights must flow from the right to vote. Voting is meaningless apart from the existence of ballots, candidates, offices, institutions, and enforcement. Therefore, the right to vote also requires the right to ballots, candidates, offices, and so on.

Now consider the implications of these rights, as they apply to EVE and highsec.

As we all know, highsec is awash with bots and bot-aspirants. Having existed in a state of anarchy for so long, highsec is on an unsustainable course. Highsec life--if you can call it life--is increasingly automated. Bots and bot-aspirants can mine a lot of ice and ore, but they can't do much else. One need only visit the average system in highsec to see the truth of that. The systems are dead. Local is silent. Ore and ice are being collected, but there's not a trace of humanity.

How does democracy exist in such an environment? Where are the institutions? Where is the enforcement? For that matter, where are the voters? Only humans can exercise free will, not bots. Not even humans, if they are AFK. Everyone has a right to vote, yet that right necessarily depends upon the preexistence of so many other things--to which everyone also has a right.

If democracy cannot exist in highsec's current environment, and if the people have a right to democracy, then the people also have a right to change the environment. Democracy demands that highsec be saved from its current state. To be saved, highsec must have a Saviour. Highsec must have the institutions of an Order, which operates according to a Code, which is enforced by Agents of that Order.

Logic and reason leave no other conclusion: The principles of liberty, free choice, and democracy demand that everyone in highsec has a right to the New Order, a right to the Code, and a right to the Saviour of Highsec. These rights are inalienable. They cannot be taken away. No rebel or resistance movement, no matter how much they desire to oppose us, can deprive anyone of their right to be ruled by the New Order and receive the benefits of its leadership.

One Order, One Code, One Saviour of Highsec. No opposition or dissent. That is the meaning of freedom.

"One Order, One Code, One Saviour of Highsec. No opposition or dissent. That is the meaning of freedom."

Every democracy needs an opposition that remind their leader on their responsibility for society. A society which doesn't allow an opposition is still a dictatorship.

As a self declared democracy you are, had the peoples you are concquering a vote? Did you asked them before you invaded their homeworlds? Where can I vote? Why you didn't informed me the last time you voted?

Instead repeating again and again the same empty phrases about your savior and salvation, do something for your political education. It's often boring but here you can actually learn how society and democracy really works.

Just like children aren't allowed to vote, those residents of high sec which aren't ready can't be allowed to vote. The botters and bot-aspirants surely would have damaged the outcome. I am glad that James 315 took on this great responsibility and cast his vote as proxy for all of us. He truely is the Saviour.

"As a self declared democracy you are, had the peoples you are concquering a vote? Did you asked them before you invaded their homeworlds? Where can I vote? Why you didn't informed me the last time you voted?"

Yes the peoples had a vote. Didn't you read? James 315 voted on their behalf. As proxy. They did indeed have a vote and it was cast.

It's not up to James 315 to inform you of an upcoming vote. If you weren't afk and were paying attention, you'd have known.

This is conclusively WHY James 315 needs to vote as your proxy I think.

Wikipedia: "Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives..."

New Order aspirant: "Just like children aren't allowed to vote, those residents of high sec which aren't ready can't be allowed to vote. The botters and bot-aspirants surely would have damaged the outcome..."

A society where the ruling party excludes the opposition from votes isn't a democracy.

You want blind faith in James and his New Order, but you self distrust and incapacitate player, you say, who want your order.

I agree with you, but you see in order to vote you have not to be afk something like i have no keyboard, and i must vote. The problem is in the very moment you choose to be afk you also choose the consequences, but for some people this is too hard to understand. They are like spoiled children, oh noes this guy is bad please CCP do something. And they whine, whine, whine and as a result the CCP break the game for the other players.

The idea of a democratic governance is theoretical. There have been no successful democracy-style governments. Most European and North American governments are a democractic republic. This means there is a center leader, (President, Prime Minister, Furer,) but also a group dedicated to representing all majority groups and minority groups. Seeing as players who afk mine or bot mine are players who have accounts that exist, and who seem to be in the area you have decided to govern, then they must be represented by a representative they have nominated and elected in a process independent of all other governing bodies, majorities, or minorities. If these step have not been taken, then your claim of democracy or of a democratic republic are false. The government you are attempting to implement would be an autocracy. Autocracies are much less effective because a lack of accountability of leadership and the fallability of a human leade with complete power. Leadership with no Balance or disruption to their power seem to go a bit overboard as you all probably now see. Example countries would be Syria, North Korea, South Africa (1960-1995), Peru, Venazuala, Iran (Theocratic Autocracy*), and Bangladesh. As far as "proxy voting" goes or "national absenty voting" (assuming the outcome of an election due to an obvious outcome) it is not an actual governmental practice, but again only theoretical. If no actaul voting was conducted, as it now seems, then you are only governing through military dominance or the people you claim to govern don't see you as enough of a threat to their liestyle to actually address. So it seems to me that while you are "trolling" (doing and saying things just to get a rise out of people) with the best of the internet bloggers and bored college dropouts, you are insignificant. I suggest anyone who is effected by this james 335 to ignore him and let his megalomania run its course. With time every goverment has undergone drastic change or has become obsolete. Wait him out, remind him he really doesn't matter all that much, and go about your daily lives and im sure he and his followers will get bored and go somewhere else.

Respectfully, Jeff DentProffessor of Political Science and 1960s FunkConEastern Oregon University

P.S. Do people still believe that wikipidea is a viable source to cite? I mean really? My 8 year old knows not to use wikipidea.

My apologies Mr. Bing Bangboom, I submitted the post on an Ipad and must have bumbled a key. Good to know this Order has no way to argue logic and reason but to play spellcheck. People from this Order are the exact reason I beg students to finish college. At least then Mr. Bangboom might have been able to create an argument about the topic. Instead he tries to devalue my logic and expertise by pointing out that I am human and may have clicked the F key twice instead of once. I atleast expected some clever run around about James being Eve onlines Jesus, and therefore he has the right by Eve God to bother others fun with his indepth Eve Online roleplay fantasy.

Can I be a professor too If i sign my post as such? I have to admit this attempt is creative, even if the lack of paragraphs, bad grammar and an overall misunderstanding of what James 315 is doing and saying kind of give it away.

No one bothered to counterargument because you have no argument and no point. Just a few real world examples who has no value in a videogame, and a few personal insults at the end of your post that no respectable professor would ever think of saying. And you even sign with "respectfully"...hilarious.